Why Workmen's Comp?

[jesse_the_k]

I'm picky.

(This isn't news to most readers, I'm sure.)

My skin gets itchy whenever someone refers to Workmen's Compensation.

It's WORKER's Compensation, and has been since 1979.

For almost 30 years, the official term has been gender-neutral, and yet the gendered version is in widespread use.

Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. That is all.

Comments

[redbird]

I agree with you, and looking at this, it also occurs to me that "workmen's" carries more of a tone of "this is for people doing physical labor" than "worker's" and I wonder whether some people, of any gender, are deterred from applying because they think it doesn't apply to them in their office jobs. And then I wonder whether some other people might be using that term specifically in order to deter working people--which is most of us--who do things that require physical effort but aren't counted as "labor", or who are injured by a falling ceiling, damaged floor, or such while walking around their workplaces from applying for this.

Snap!

[jesse_the_k]

Bingo -- excellent point!